CHICAGO (AP) – Mike Fiers tossed seven innings of three-hit ball to extend his career-best winning streak to nine games, leading the Oakland Athletics past the Chicago White Sox 7-0 on Friday.
Fiers (11-3) improved to 9-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 17 starts dating to his no-hitter on May 7 against Cincinnati. Chad Pinder lined a two-run homer, and Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty each hit solo shots to help power the A’s to their eighth win in their last 11 games.
Dustin Garneau drove in two runs with a double in a five-run eighth inning as the A’s pulled away. Oakland entered Friday one-half game behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card.
Tim Anderson lined two singles to right off Fiers among the handful of hard-hit balls off the right-hander. The 34-year-old struck out a season-high eight, walked none and hit two batters while keeping the White Sox batters off-balance.
Jake Diekman and Joakim Soria each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the four-hitter.
Chapman’s 25th homer, a line shot to the left-field bullpen in the first, ended the All-Star third-baseman’s 0-for-16 skid. Chapman’s previous hit was a two-run, tiebreaking homer off Milwaukee closer Josh Hader on Aug. 1.
Ross Detwiler (1-3) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander hasn’t won in eight outings since his White Sox debut on June 28.
The Athletics traveled across town to Chicago’s South Side after going 1-2 in a series against the Cubs earlier this week. They arrived in Chicago last Sunday and are spending seven straight nights in the same hotel.
After Chapman went deep, Piscotty led off the second with a drive to left-center to make it 2-0.
Pinder hit his 11th homer to center off Jace Fry, and Jurickson Profar and Garneau had RBI doubles in the eighth.
